Book One, Chapter One Summary

In Chapter One, Reuven (the narrator), Rachel and Michael find themselves at a fair during an outing. For whatever reason, Reuven and Rachel cannot decide whether they want to stay at the fair or leave, and they end up bickering about it at length. This creates a certain tension between them. However, Michael wants to stick around and play some games. During a roller coaster ride, Michael stands up in his seat. Reuven and Rachel become frantic and try to get him to step down. Michael refuses until he gets a nosebleed. Reuven and Rachel then have to help him stop the nosebleed.

After the roller coaster ride, Reuven, Rachel and Michael go to a dice game table at the fair. At first, a middle-aged man tends to the booth. Michael plays, increasingly betting more money. However...